(National Calliope Company advertising poster courtesy of Q. David Bowers.)

Advertising illustration of a National Model B 53-Whistle New Tone Air Calliope. This is a view of the keyboard side of the instrument. The piano style keyboard is not visible here because the slanted keyboard cover (located at the top of the case) is closed. The wide rectangular panel below the keyboard is used to access and adjust the pressure chest's individual valve stem buttons, so that the keyboard perfectly interacts with each whistle's actuating valve. Notice that this calliope does not have a player mechanism installed, as evidenced by the lack of an enclosure above the tail-end of the keyboard.

(National Calliope Company advertising poster courtesy of Q. David Bowers.)

Advertising illustration of a National Model B New Tone Air Calliope with an electric motor powered air blower. The 53 brass whistles are arranged symmetrically on four stepped tiers. Here the exhaust port and piping on the top of the blower is fitted with a pressure relief valve, while the air input on the bottom side of the blower is piped upward between the blower and motor, and is fitted with a vacuum relief valve to maintain a constant vacuum level for the pneumatic roll playing components. On the back side and below the decorative brass banding on the cabinet are two access doors. If an automatic player mechanism were installed the left hand door panel would provide access to the wind-motor that drives the roll mechanism, and the door on the right side would give access to the roll playing mechanism.

(National Calliope Company advertising poster courtesy of Q. David Bowers.)

Advertising illustration of a National Model B New Tone Air Calliope with a gasoline engine powered air blower. In the illustration the blower is driven by a small single-cylinder gasoline engine. For more details see the above image.

(Photograph courtesy of Q. David Bowers.)

Front keyboard side view of National Calliope #B-949. Here the keyboard cover is raised exposing the keys. This instrument has the automatic player system installed. The pneumatic stack is inside the long rectangular box placed above the backside pivot end of the keyboard. The stack's individual stickers press down on the keys immediately behind the front side of its enclosing box. The narrow rectangular access panel below the keyboard is for adjusting the pressure valves underneath the keyboard.

(Photograph courtesy of Q. David Bowers.)

Rear side view of National Calliope #B-949. Here the lower access panel for the roll frame has been removed (and is partially visible laying on the floor) revealing the roll mechanism. This view also hows the spectacular arrangement of the 53 polished brass whistles. The calliope is sitting in a special wagon for use in parades.

(Photograph courtesy of Q. David Bowers.)

Roll Mechanism in National Calliope #B-949. Close-up of the Seeburg made roll mechanism. This particular type of Seeburg roll frame was introduced circa 1923, and it plays the standard "A" piano roll. Although some "A" rolls were specifically marked for use on a calliope, implying that they were also arranged for a calliope, all such rolls examined to date were just standard piano arrangements with a re-purposed label. The "A" roll has 58 playing notes, and so for a calliope with fewer musical notes it was necessary to octave couple certain otherwise "extra" tracker bar holes.

(Photograph courtesy of Q. David Bowers.)

Nameplate for National Calliope #B-949. This is a typical nameplate for a National Calliope.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Looking downward at the pressure chest in National Calliope #B-1000. This unrestored and derelict looking National Calliope was reportedly once part of the Clyde Beatty Circus. As is obvious, it has been long used and abused. This photograph shows the layout and positioning of the pressure chest. The individual note valves are organized in two rows.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Close-up of keyboard operated valves in National Calliope #B-1000. The is a close-up of the pressure chest valves (see above photograph). The actual valve disk is centered below the metal elbow. The valve stem extends up through a hole in the top of the metal elbow. On the threaded top end of the valve stem is a leather button that can be adjusted to take up lost motion between the key and the valve stem.

(Photograph courtesy of Tim Westman.)

Front side view of the roll mechanism and associated components from a National New Tone Calliope that was undergoing a complete restoration by Tim Westman, Woodsville, New Hampshire. The roll frame (on the right hand side) is a Seeburg roll mechanism design introduced circa 1923, and it is identical to those found in Seeburg coin pianos from 1923 onward up to the end of coin piano production whenever the roll frame was hung from an overhead shelf. At the left is a typical wind-motor for a Harrington/National New Tone Calliope, which is identical to those used by Seeburg in instruments, such as its Mortuary Organ, that did not have the typical pump and integrated friction drive to power the roll frame standard in Seeburg coin pianos. On the topside of the support shelf is the main vacuum reservoir, various vacuum control valves, the wind-motor vacuum regulator, and directly over the wind-motor itself is the wind-motor sliding valve speed control unit.

(Photograph courtesy of Tim Westman.)

Plan or top view of the roll mechanism shelf out of a National New Tone Calliope undergoing a complete restoration by Tim Westman, Woodsville, New Hampshire. All of the surrounding workshop clutter has been removed. The Seeburg roll frame (on the right hand underneath side of the shelf) is a design introduced circa 1923. The wind-motor that drives the roll frame is at left, also underneath the shelf. On the topside of the support shelf is the main vacuum reservoir (center), various vacuum control valves, the wind-motor vacuum regulator (at right), and directly over the wind-motor itself is the wind-motor sliding valve speed control unit.

Standing upright behind the roll mechanism shelf is the calliope's keyboard, and to its right is the Seeburg 2-tier pneumatic stack. Notice the dark graphited area adjacent to the back end of the white key covers and/or the black sharps. This is the area in which the sticker buttons on the pneumatic stack press down on the keys. On the stack, the light colored wooden guide rail at its left side has guide holes when keep the stickers properly aligned with the graphited area on each of the keys.

(Photograph courtesy of Tim Westman.)

Backside view of the vacuum regulator end of the roll frame support shelf. Notice the two rows of brass nipples inserted through the support shelf. On the bottom side rubber tubing goes between the tracker bar and the nipples. Once the stack is installed (over the keyboard) rubber tubes would then be connected from the topside nipple extensions up to the valves in the pneumatic stack. The large diameter hose fitting looking upward (toward the bottom right side of the picture) goes to the pressure chest, and it affixed to the top of a reservoir tank the occupies the entire inner front half of the calliope's cabinet.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Close-up view of a wind-motor typical for a National Calliope. This rather dirty specimen has yet to be restored, but clearly shows the accordion type pneumatics used to power the unit, as well as the crankshaft and rocker-arm arrangement that operates the slide-valves. The slide-valves are on the topside, which in the up-side down picture is the bottom, hiding the valves from view.